Netflix character inspire baby names

The popularity of Netflix shows is inspiring parents' choice of baby names

A new report by Bounty has uncovered that baby names inspired by Netflix characters are on the up. The report, which reviewed the 340,000 names Bounty’s members gave to their babies in recent months, found that as well as more common place character names increasing in popularity, there’s been a sharp rise in unique names featured on shows this year.

Following on from the launch of the new series of Orange Is the New Black last year, Bounty found that a number of names from Litchfield Penitentiary have shot up in popularity. The biggest climber has come from Piper, breaking into the top 150 with a 20% increase in popularity. Other increases include Sophia (up one, to the number 8 spot), Gloria up by 16% and Stella is also on an upward trajectory, with 13% more baby girls being given the name in 2016.

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Names from the smash-hit show Breaking Bad continue to show strong increases with Walter jumping up 11%, joined by his partner in crime Jesse, who gained a whopping 20% popularity bump over the last 12 months, now at 109. Mike jumped up 11%, reaching the top 150. However, the most interesting climber from Albuquerque comes from the boy’s name Gustavo, which climbed 9%.

House of Cards is another Netflix series receiving much love and so are some key characters’ names. Current favourites from the US capital include Claire; climbing 20%, Zoe; up 8%, now well inside the top 100 at number 84. Remy is a popular character from the show, and the quirky French boys’ name has gained serious ground in the charts too, becoming 21% more popular in 2016.

Other popular Netflix character names this year include Javier and Fabio from Narcos, gaining 20% and 30% respectively.

Sci-Fi’s, Stranger Things characters Nancy and Jonathan, gained ground with both enjoying a respectable 18% increase and now holding positions 63 and 246.

Female names from the show Jessica Jones also proved currently popular, with Harper jumping up 8 places to number 41 and Patsy receiving a massive 43% bump in popularity over the course of the year.

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Bloodline characters also proved popular in 2016, with quirky girl’s names Belle and Evangeline and classic boy’s names Marco and Eric all gaining strong ground.

If this trend indicates one thing, it’s that we can’t get enough of our favourite Netflix shows. Whether you’re a drip feeder watching one episode every one or two weeks or a self-confessed boxset binger smashing through a series in a weekend, the exposure to the range of cute and quirky character names is clear. From kooky sci-fi to serious crime, it’s no surprise to learn that over 5 million households in the UK regularly sit down for a taste of the action.

What isn’t known is how many of the 340,000 babies studied in this report were conceived during a night of Netflix and Chill…